My favorite jeans, which my mother deemed too old and ratty to wear to school, were thrown in the trash when I wasn't looking.

Are you a word wiz?

Today we deem it necessary to guess how long the word "deem" has been in the English language. When do you think "deem" was first used?

A. in the late 1800s

B. in the 1600s

C. during the 1400s

D. before the 12th century

We deem your word skills beyond reproach if you picked answer D. Medieval monks and knights of old were deeming things wise, witty, or foolish long before the 12th century. The first known use of the word "deem" dates from the year 900, and it appears in some of the oldest surviving manuscripts written in our language. That makes "deem" about as old as English itself!